Horizon gyro



y 1944. B. G. CARLSON 2,348,604

HORIZON GYRO Filed Jan. I6, 1943 INVENTOR.

.Bzer 6f Chemo/v. BY

Patented May 9, 1944 HORIZON GYRO Bert G. Carlson, Erieside, Ohio, assignor to Jack & Heintz, Inc., Bedford, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application January 16, 1943, Serial No. 472,609

2 Claims.

This invention relates in general to gyros and more particularly to erection device therefor.

The primary object of the invention is to provide an improved gyro erection device that will be simple in construction and assembly-and positive and efiicient in operation.

To this end it is proposed to provide a cap rotatably mounted on the lower compartment of the gyro box to cover the air exhaust apertures and having an aperture to the atmosphere. Besides being rotatably mounted, the cap is provided with a weight arranged eccentrically and near the periphery of the cap. Any deviation of the gyro box with respect to the vertical results in the weight seeking the lower side and acting as a pendulum to bring about the erection of the gyro.

With the foregoing and other objects in View, the invention resides in the combination of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter set forth in the following specification and appended claims, certain embodiments thereof being illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a view in elevation, partly in section of an horizon gyro assembly with the improved erection device, showing the gyro in vertical position;

Figure 2 is a view in cross section, taken along line 22 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a bottom plan View of the erection device; and

Figure 4 is a partial view in elevation of the gyro box and erection device with the gyro box slightly tilted to the left.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, Figure 1 shows an horizon gyro assembly in normal vertical position with a gyro wheel I havin trunnions 2 engaging bearings 3 in a gyro box, the rotor compartment of which is indicated at 4. The box has suitable trunnions 5 to be carried by a suitable gimbal support. Coextensive with the rotor compartment 4 is a lower compartment 5 to the lower end of which is secured a plate 6 by means of screws 1.

As is usual practice, air is drawn in by suction through ports 8 to jets 9 to impinge on the rotor buckets "J. In order to evacuate this air after it has spent its force in spinning the gyro wheel, apertures l i are provided to lead the air from the upper compartment 4 into the lower compartment 5, the lower plate 5 of which has a series of apertures I Departing from the usual practice of employing a plurality of pendulum shutters for regulatin the opening and closing of the exhaust ports, it is proposed to use a single exhaust port and a single shiftable gravity responsive weight. To this end there is provided a cap l2 secured by a pin l3 to a spindle M which is mounted for rotation in bearing assemblies 15 and IS in such a manner that the edges of plate 6 and cap I2 overlap to form a compartment IT. The cap I2 is provided with a single tangentially disposed aperture 20 so that as viewed in Figure 3 a rotation of cap 12 in a counterclockwise direction i imparted as air is exhausted from compartment l1.

Secured to 'cap l2 by a screw I8 is a weight I!) that is arranged eccentrically of spindle l4 and near the periphery of cap l2. In normal operation when the gyro is vertical the force of the air exhausting through the aperture 20 causes cap l2 and its weight [9 to rotate slowly in a counterclockwise direction. When, however, the gyro becomes tilted, the weight seeks the lower side of the tilt. This is illustrated in Figure 4 where the gyro is tilted to the left and the rotative force of the air exhaust through the tangential aperture an, arranged at approximately ninety degrees to the weight, is insuificient to cause the weight to climb up the hill. The maintenance of this position by the weight causes a pendulous effect upon the gyro resulting in its becoming erected. When the erection is completed the cap resume its normal slow rotation.

By this simple expedient the construction and assembly is greatly simplified and the operation dependable and enicient. This is because there is eliminated the provision of pendulum shutters which by reason of their hinges may not properly regulate their respective exhaust ports which latter may also become partially closed by sediment.

I claim:

1. In combination in a vertical axis gyro assembly including an air spun gyro and a casing therefor, a spindle rotatably mounted in bearings in said casing below said rotor coaxially with the spin axis of said rotor, a cap secured to said spindle and forming a compartment in communication with said casing and provided with an air discharge outlet port in the periphery of said cap and at right angles to the axis of rotation of said rotor, said cap being adapted to be rotated by the discharge of air as said casing is being evacuated, a weight secured to said cap eccentrically of the axis of said spindle and adapted, upon tilt of said gyro, to overcome the rotative force created in the chamber enclosed by said rotative cap and pendulously apply an erective efiect upon said gyro assembly until said gyro is erected and automatically resume normal rotation when said erection is completed.

semblies arranged respectively in said partition 10 and plate and a spindle extending therethrough, a cap secured to the lower end of said spindle, said spindle having a shoulder resting on the inner race of said lower bearing assembly for sustaining the entire vertical load of said spindle and cap carried thereby, said cap and plate having their inner faces spaced to provide an air chamber, an exhaust port in the periphery of the cap and in a plane at right angles to the axis of rotation of said gyro wheel, whereby an exhaust of air through said port in said cap imparts a rotary motion to the cap, said cap having secured thereto on its lower surface a weight near its periphery and eccentric of the axis of rotation of its spindle, said weight being adapted, upon tilt of said gyro, to overcome the rotative force created in the chamber enclosed by said rotative cap and pendulously apply an erective effect upon said gyro assembly until said gyro is erected and automatically resume normal rota- 15 tion when said erection i completed.

BERT Gr. CARLSON. 

